MR. BIG fans have been rejoicing by the group's steady output of albums since the 2008 one-off reunion featuring Paul Gilbert and his band mates including one-time guitarist Richie Kotzen. MR. BIG is only blowing up the charts in Japan and other ports overseas, but that doesn't stop them from releasing quality albums as if their standing in the American music market depends on it…

Back with their first new studio album in four years, Mr. Big have survived the turmoils of significant lineup alternations, the introduction of grunge, a seemingly unavoidable breakup, and the odds stacked against the entire original lineup coming back together for a reunion in 2009, and yet somehow they've overcome all of that and continue to regularly tour and create music right in line with their earlier efforts.

It is absolutely unbelievable that these guys still have their flair and can produce a record so good in a span of 6 days. And as shown on the album cover, this album is indeed a mammoth falling into the current music scenario of the world…

Time for a new Mr.Big album. They convened in a Los Angeles studio and in a matter of six days, the boundless result of all that musical talent is Defying Gravity, with the release of their ninth original studio album. Original members Eric Martin (lead vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitars), Billy Sheehan (bass) and Pat Torpey (drums) reunited with producer Kevin Elson (who was behind the boards for the band’s 1989 self-titled debut, 1991’s Lean Into It and 1993’s Bump Ahead) for an intensive six-day recording session in L.A. While Torpey was unable to perform some of the songs on Defying Gravity due to a recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, Matt Starr has been filling in for him on a majority of the album. Starr also been touring with the band for the past couple of years, with Torpey able to play a couple of songs at each stop.

Mr. Big were one of the few "shredder" pop metal bands (translation: the bandmembers were highly proficient at their instruments) that prized songcraft as highly as virtuosity. The seeds for the group's formation were sown when bass player extraordinaire Billy Sheehan, often called "the Eddie Van Halen of bass," left David Lee Roth's solo band in 1988. Shortly thereafter, he began piecing together a new outfit comprised of former Racer X guitarist Paul Gilbert, drummer Pat Torpey, and singer Eric Martin, the latter of whom had issued a pair of obscure solo releases in the mid-'80s. By 1989, the newly formed quartet had already inked a recording contract with Atlantic, resulting in the release of a self-titled debut the same year. Despite finding a warm reception among musicians, the album failed to cross over to a mainstream rock audience in America; however, Mr. Big was an immediate success overseas in Japan.

In the early '90s it seemed the radio could not get enough of Mr.Big's power ballad "To Be With You." With the rise of rap and short-hair rock, Mr.Big eventually disappeared from the airwaves. It seems that their fan base has not, however, so they have released a collection of their ballads (complete with short hair), including the big radio hit that grabbed them a lot of attention from non-rock audiences…

When it came to classification, Mr. Big always posed a bit of a problem. On the one hand, the band had a big-league virtuoso lead guitarist (Paul Gilbert) who just loved to shred and a hotshot bass player (Billy Sheehan) who regularly topped guitar magazine polls. On the other, all of Mr. Big's hits were sappy (if tuneful) AC-lite through and through, thanks in large part to the mainstream pop sensibilities of lead vocalist Eric Martin…

Since Mr. Big had their big hit with the campfire singalong "To Be With You," it's easy for the average listener to assume that Mr. Big is one of the poppiest of the pop-metal bands, when precisely the opposite is the case. Mr. Big was formed by two virtuosos, shred kings Paul Gilbert (formerly the guitarist for Racer X) and Billy Sheehan, who came to prominence as the bassist for David Lee Roth's solo band, and the band was designed as a way for both to flash their chops…

Jean Knight could do no wrong in 1971, when the strutting "Mr. Big Stuff" was climbing the pop and R&B charts, well on its way to becoming one of the most familiar chart hits of all time. Her debut album, with its no-brainer title, featured a lot of good material on it, not all of it in the same vein as her hit. Producer/arranger Wardell Quezergue (he also appeared on keyboards) handled the record well, with a band consisting of Malaco hands like guitarist Jerry Puckett and drummer James Stroud.